“… it already possesses a Dragon Eye phased-array radar, a new point-defense missile system, and a new close-in weapon system. The Dragon Eye can reportedly track up to a hundred targets while engaging fifty simultaneously, detect targets out to sixty-five nautical miles (120 kilometers), and track targets out to 48.6 nautical miles (ninety kilometers).”

The Varyag, originally an unfinished Soviet Union warship was purchased by a Chinese company from the Ukraine, and is China’s first aircraft carrier.

And herein lies the problem, it is not supposed to be an aircraft carrier, but a floating casino!

“Not surprisingly, the Ukrainians demanded – and the Chinese acceded to – a clause in the contract stating that the ship wouldn’t be used for military purposes.”

China originally agreed that it would be converted to a civilian floating casino. But after they began refurbishing it, the story changed. It would only be used for training purposes they claimed. Now, it is equipped with their latest radar and weapon systems.

Most likely it will be used as a template for China’s future Aircraft Carriers. And you can rest assured that they will not be sporting roulette tables either.

“The pace and scope of China’s sustained military investments have allowed China to pursue capabilities that we believe are potentially destabilizing to regional military balances, increase the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation and may contribute to regional tensions and anxieties,” said Michael Schiffer, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia.

According to the article, China spent $160 Billion for defense in 2010. Add to this the huge volume of technical and military information that China is believed to have siphoned in cyber attacks against the US and our allies.

The US imported $364.9 Billion from China in 2010. China cites our trade relations with Taiwan as a threat, but it appears that we only exported about $26 Billion to them in 2010. One would have to ask why one of our largest trading partners sees us as a threat?